The invention relates to a paging receiver, comprising receiving means for receiving a message, selection means which are arranged to select symbols, in dependence on the message, from a predetermined set of symbols, and reproduction means for the visual reproduction of the selected symbols.
A paging receiver of this kind is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,247. Paging receivers are intended for use in a system for dispatching short messages to individual receivers. The paging receiver is capable of visually reproducing a number of predetermined symbols, such as digits, on a display panel. The message determines which symbols are selected for reproduction.
The person sending the message transmits its contents to a central station preferably by telephone. If the contents of the message are formed by a row of digits, this row can be transferred by successively selecting a row of digits on the telephone. Verbal contents are usually transferred verbally to an operator who subsequently composes the message by means of an alphanumerical keyboard. This renders the transmission of non-numerical messages expensive and unattractive if very personal messages are concerned. In order to mitigate this drawback, use can be made of code books whereby special meanings can be assigned to series of digits. Information can thus be dispatched by telephone without intervention by an operator.
The use of a code book, however, is not handy and has restrictions.
Therefore, it is inter alia an object of the invention to provide a paging receiver capable of reproducing a message in such a manner that the users can more readily attach their own meaning thereto, even when short messages are used.
To achieve this, the paging receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the reproduction means are arranged to reproduce visually at least a part of the symbols as pictograms in predetermined locations so as to be situated relative to one another as in a two-dimensional scene. Contrary to digit and/or letter sequences, pictograms arranged as in a scene may have mutually different dimensions and/or be arranged in a non-recurrent pattern of positions. By reproducing the message as a two-dimensional scene, the user is offered a higher degree of freedom of association so that it is easier to agree on and memorize individual meanings for messages.
Furthermore, it is possible to produce a family of paging receivers whose members deviate from one another in respect of the pictograms and/or the situation of these pictograms, so that upon reception of one and the same message different members of the family will reproduce different scenes. The user can then select a paging receiver which is suitable for a desired type of meaning.
The sender of the message can readily compose the message by referring to predetermined pictogram symbols. This is desirable notably for paging systems; for example, a scene can be described via a telephone dial or keyboard by making a small number of choices, which scene is subsequently dispatched to the paging receiver for reproduction. The number of pictogram symbols is then preferably less than ten, so that each visual symbol corresponds to an own key.
An embodiment of the paging receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the reproduction means comprise a display panel, that each visual symbol of said part corresponds to a predetermined, unique own position on the display panel, regardless of the message, and that the reproduction means are arranged to display each selected visual symbol in its predetermined, unique own position. Because each symbol has its own position in the scene, it is not necessary to transmit position information; moreover, less information suffices to compose the message. Furthermore, in most positions it is then merely necessary to display one symbol or not. Therefore, specially shaped electrodes suffice for the display panel, the shapes of said electrodes corresponding to the pictogram symbols. The pictogram symbols can then also be reproduced on a curved part of the surface of the paging receiver, so that its construction may be more compact. Paging receivers having a facility for the visual display of arbitrary symbols (i.e. not only visual pictogram symbols as in a scene) can also be rendered more compact in this manner.
An embodiment of the paging receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the selection means are arranged to detect a predetermined code in the message and to enable selection and reproduction of any one of the visual symbols exclusively upon detection of the code. Thus, the sender can optionally switch on the reproduction of the pictogram symbols in the scene by including the code in the message. If no pictogram symbols need be reproduced, no information for the selection of the pictogram symbols need then be included in the message.
An embodiment of the paging receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the selection means are arranged to detect the presence of given digits in a series of digits in the message and to select, upon detection, respective visual symbols exclusively associated with said given digits. This offers a simple way of composing the scene for which the sender need remember only little.
An embodiment of the paging receiver in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the reproduction means are arranged to reproduce a row or column of digits and/or letters simultaneously with the visual symbols, and to reproduce therein a digit and/or letter in each reproduction position which is selectable in dependence on the message. Thus, the paging receiver can reproduce, together with the pictogram symbols, for example a telephone number offering supplementary information for the scene. The digits of the telephone number are reproduced in the usual manner, i.e. as digits in a row of positions in which an arbitrarily adjustable digit may be present in any position as opposed to the scene configuration of the visual pictogram symbols. In comparison with the digits and/or letters, the scene preferably occupies the major part of the surface of the display panel.